Rick
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- Sep 4, 2003
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I know this doesn't rival many of the trip reports posted here in terms of distance, adventure and altitude, but for me, it was special.
I hadn’t been out on any trails since having a new aortic valve replaced back at the beginning of summer while living in Massachusetts. I have been able to work out on a Stairmaster and exercise bike for the past few weeks and had been walking daily on roads and streets, but no backcountry. We (my 5-year old son and I) decided it was time to get out of cell phone range and headed out to some old roads (now hiking trails) near our new PA home in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
We started out at 1PM and the day was perfect - bright and warm in the sun, crisp and cool in the valley as we drove along the Delaware River on Old Mine Road (the first Exit in NJ on I-80) . A quick stop at the small general store on the corner of Flatbrookville Road for some pre-hike ice cream for the little one (coffee for me) and we were on our way.
We had thought about the AT and then decided to hike in some of the old roads along Blue Mountain Lakes, which was a series of cottages/artists/hippie/squatter community during the planning of the Tocks Island Delaware River Damn
( http://www.poconorecord.com/report/tocks/ ) Which are now nothing more than old roads reverted to trails, since the damn project was dismantled in the 70’s.
It was nice for me as I was in semi-wilderness for the first time since May and the small hills were great for my confidence. Holding hands with the little one for about 4 miles as we talked about where alligators, crocodiles and penguins live, as well as what kind of ice cream we thought the store would have on the way home, (I was reminded of this about every 3 minutes), this was interspersed with long bouts of what kind of Star Wars toys would be needed for Christmas, along with warding off Tree Monsters with a stick “light saber” (and all the accompanying pretend noises).
Stopping for a well-deserved juice box after a long uphill grade we found a big pile of bear scat right on the middle of the trail. We then came across a daddy long legs and I spent a good 10 minutes talking unconvincingly about the fact that they won’t bite you, regardless of what our 9-year old neighbor said, as we then scouted every weed we passed for signs of another Daddy longs legs just waiting to “pounce”.
Because of all our noise (and it was midafternoon) we saw no wildlife, save the small fish at the edges of the lakes. But it was probably one of the best small trips I have ever had, spending the lazy afternoon on a trail with my 5-year old just hanging out. (Oh yeah, and having ice cream
on the way home)
I hadn’t been out on any trails since having a new aortic valve replaced back at the beginning of summer while living in Massachusetts. I have been able to work out on a Stairmaster and exercise bike for the past few weeks and had been walking daily on roads and streets, but no backcountry. We (my 5-year old son and I) decided it was time to get out of cell phone range and headed out to some old roads (now hiking trails) near our new PA home in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
We started out at 1PM and the day was perfect - bright and warm in the sun, crisp and cool in the valley as we drove along the Delaware River on Old Mine Road (the first Exit in NJ on I-80) . A quick stop at the small general store on the corner of Flatbrookville Road for some pre-hike ice cream for the little one (coffee for me) and we were on our way.
We had thought about the AT and then decided to hike in some of the old roads along Blue Mountain Lakes, which was a series of cottages/artists/hippie/squatter community during the planning of the Tocks Island Delaware River Damn
( http://www.poconorecord.com/report/tocks/ ) Which are now nothing more than old roads reverted to trails, since the damn project was dismantled in the 70’s.
It was nice for me as I was in semi-wilderness for the first time since May and the small hills were great for my confidence. Holding hands with the little one for about 4 miles as we talked about where alligators, crocodiles and penguins live, as well as what kind of ice cream we thought the store would have on the way home, (I was reminded of this about every 3 minutes), this was interspersed with long bouts of what kind of Star Wars toys would be needed for Christmas, along with warding off Tree Monsters with a stick “light saber” (and all the accompanying pretend noises).
Stopping for a well-deserved juice box after a long uphill grade we found a big pile of bear scat right on the middle of the trail. We then came across a daddy long legs and I spent a good 10 minutes talking unconvincingly about the fact that they won’t bite you, regardless of what our 9-year old neighbor said, as we then scouted every weed we passed for signs of another Daddy longs legs just waiting to “pounce”.
Because of all our noise (and it was midafternoon) we saw no wildlife, save the small fish at the edges of the lakes. But it was probably one of the best small trips I have ever had, spending the lazy afternoon on a trail with my 5-year old just hanging out. (Oh yeah, and having ice cream
on the way home)
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